Moniza Alvi and Grace Nichols' Feelings of Living in England

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Moniza Alvi and Grace Nichols' Feelings of Living in England

Moniza Alvi and Grace Nichols convey their thoughts and feelings about

living in England and having roots in another culture through their

poetry. Moniza Alvi was born in England and her father was from

Pakistan. Grace Nichols was born in Guyana. I can understand coming

from another culture and living in a different country like England

can be complex and difficult but at the same time new and exciting.

Firstly, Moniza Alvi and Grace Nichols are influenced by different

cultures. Naturally, they can offer to our culture, as Britain is a

multicultural country.

One of the characteristics of Caribbean literature is the strong sense

of place, which can clearly be read in the 'Island Man'. The quote "

the sound of the blue surf " makes it more appealing to the senses and

uses pathetic fallacy. This makes it more interesting as the pathetic

fallacy gives you the feeling of the Caribbean climate. The cultural

identity of Moniza Alvi's poems is her heritage and traditions. For

instance, in 'Presents from my Aunts in Pakistan' she creates images

of the Salwar Kameez using words like "peacock-blue", "glistening like

an orange split open". Here she has used metaphor and simile to

emphasis the beauty of the presents and makes it appealing to the

eyes.

I found reading 'The Fat Black Woman goes Shopping' a bit difficult

because it is written in colloquial style. The constant use of "de"

would sound much better if it is read with a Caribbean accent. The

voice of the narrator in 'Invitation' sounds confident because using

oxymoron the writer has used the narrator's weight to describe her

beauty. Moniza Alvi also uses words from her second language like

"chador", which makes the poem more cultural and different from Grace

Nicholas poems or any other poems. In 'I would like to be a dot in a

Painting by Miro' I think the narrator here sounds confused whether

she wants to be the same as everyone else or different.

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